Fourth Time's The Charm
by Anni3
Summary: Pairings:  Colebe, Chraige, Andrue, Billeo.  Rated T in case.  Multiple points of view.  COMPLETED.
1. Meeting Sam

**AN: I own nothing. This is my version of P3 H20 (Season 2, episode 8) and beyond; semi-AU. Pairings: Colebe, Chraige, and Andrue. Also, Chris in my story is not related to Paige, but looks like adult Chris. First fan fiction, please R&R.**

Prue's POV -

I have told my sisters that I go to the old summer camp where Mom was killed, but they don't know how often. In truth, I go there almost every week. My work schedule at the auction house is flexible enough that I go after work sometimes. It takes a decent amount of time to drive up there; but I tell Phoebe and Piper that rush hour traffic was horrible, and they believe me. After all, I'm the eldest and a little white lie never hurt anyone.

I'll sit at the picnic table where we shared snacks and look out at the Lake… so deceivingly beautiful. My sisters would cast a spell if they knew what I thought about up there so their skin would stop crawling. My connection with my mom sometimes gets so intense I'll find myself walking toward the dock. Early this evening when I visited the Lake was much the same. The only interruption of those memories was the appearance of a stranger right when I was about to bend down to catch a closer glimpse of the still water.

"Get away from the dock!" he screamed.

As I looked up sharply, I saw a blur of silver hair. He was already a quarter of the way down the dock after me. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and ran with me to the grassy bank; my feet barely touching the old wooden planks.

"Who are you? What's wrong with-" I protested, just as a loud gurgling sound came from the depths of the Lake.

"That's what killed your mother," he panted, an aggrieved look on his rough face.

"Who are you?" I repeated. "You knew my mother?"

He looked down at his feet; a pang of regret touching his features.

"I need to show you something. I've waited far too long."

Curious about what he knew, I followed him to a cabin. I was hyperaware that this may turn into a dangerous situation, but I took comfort knowing I had control of my powers.

He showed me in, and I was overtaken by the volume of pictures in front of me. A newspaper clipping from the auction house when we made a big sale; older pictures of Mom; and markedly the wedding announcement to Victor in the paper. Noticing my puzzlement, he was quick to explain: "This may upset you; and I hope you don't hold it against me." He paused. "We, your mother and I, had a relationship-"

"I don't want to hear this! Why – are you telling me?"

He held his hands up. "It was before you were born, and there's something else." His hands returned to his sides.

I looked away, my eyes involuntarily tearing up. "What?"

"I… I was… Your mother was my charge."

I looked back at him. Suddenly the implication of what he had said hit me full force. My eyes bulged.

"You were my mother's whitelighter?" I could hardly believe my own voice.

"Prue, I-"

"Did you have a _child_?" My face must have given away my fear, anger, and hurt all at once.

"Prudence, the reason I came to _you_ with this is because I knew you could handle it. You're strong, you're tough as hell, and you remember your mother best. We hid it to protect you and your sisters. Having a half-whitelighter witch would have been a scandal."

I stared at him. "What else do you know about us?"

"You're the Charmed Ones. The Power of Three is about to become the Power of Four, if only you'll help me find Paige. I would have sensed her earlier, but she hasn't come into her powers yet."

"So you want us to scry for her? This is a bit much, even for me."

"It's the only way I can think of for getting in touch with my daughter. Your mother and I were so glad to have a child, you must understand. Please, Prue. I want to make this easier for you."

I saw the pain in his eyes and I couldn't let him down. "I'll talk to Piper and Phoebe."

Driving home I was stoic. It was a lot to take in, but I had to maintain calmness for my sisters. God knows Piper would freak out the most, and if she saw that I was worried or concerned in any way when I brought it up that would exacerbate it.

I decided to tell Phoebe first.

"Hey, Phoebs, we have a sister," I said casually, walking into the kitchen. Phoebe was diligently working on her laptop for school.

"Yeah, her name's Piper," Phoebe replied matter-of-factly, not looking up.

"Actually, it's Paige, and I know where she is."

"Are you drunk?" Phoebe asked, glancing at me.

I took a deep breath. "Phoebe, I scryed for her after I got home; I talked with her dad tonight."

"Prue—Oh, you're not kidding. Why were you—how did you meet-"

"Meet who?" Piper said mischievously as she joined us in the kitchen. "Prue, did you break up with Andy?"

"Of course not…" I said.

"Piper, you might want to sit down," Phoebe started.

Piper frowned and leaned against the counter. "Spill," she said.

"We have a sister," I blurted. Piper gaped at me.

"Her name is Paige, and how do you know her dad, Prue?" asked Phoebe.

"He's Mom's wh-" I tried explaining.

"What the hell?" Piper said.

"Look, I met Sam today at the Lake, and he was Mom's whitelighter, they had Paige and hid it from us. I scryed for her when I got home; and she's a witch and a whitelighter. Sam couldn't sense her because she hasn't come into her powers." I got it out as fast as I could.

Piper half-nodded then said, "Well where is she? How old is she? Wh—"

"She is in New York right now. I figure if I focus hard enough I can astral-project to her. She's actually a little older than me; about seven months."

"This sucks," Piper said simply.

I went upstairs without another word to go to my room and try to focus. It was eight in San Francisco, where I live, but I figured she might be a party girl and just getting home at 11 in the evening.

I got on my large bed, put my head on the pillow, and tried to relax. It's so much easier to astral-project when I'm comfortable. I allowed my body to sink into the mattress, and then I heard that familiar whoosh of sound accompanied by a sight of swirling furniture. Then, I was there.

Paige's apartment was not unattractive, and it was in a decent part of town. I knew that I may be walking into almost anything, she might not even be home, but she is my sister, after all.

I listened to see if I could hear her, and immediately I heard someone walking down the hall outside. Should I make myself scarce? Maybe make myself at home on her red couch? Hide in the broom closet? I decided to stay where I was.

Key in the lock, I was ready.

"Thief!" she screamed.

"My—My name is Prue and I'm your sister. I live in San Francisco. You are Paige?"

"Get away from me!" Paige grabbed an umbrella from the bucket by the door.

Holding my hands up, I said calmly, "Paige, your father has been looking for you for a long time."

"My parents are dead you sick freak!" She swung the umbrella.

"Prue, Prue, Prue?" I heard distantly.

I was travelling backwards; then was back in my room, being shaken violently by Phoebe.

"C'mon, Phoebe… I just met Paige!"

"Prue, Andy's here. For your date, remember?"

"I forgot, sorry. Um, tell him to give my five minutes?"

"You're going to have to tell him you forgot. I'm not getting into _that_ mess."

I sighed. Phoebe left me. I threw on my best Little Black Dress and reapplied my candy-apple-red lipstick. Satisfied, I went downstairs to meet Andy.

"I think L'Attente is too formal to show up barefoot, even if you _are_ stunning," Andy quipped.

I looked down at my feet, blushed, and returned upstairs.

On the way to the restaurant, I commented on how particularly handsome Andy was looking.

"Special occasions call for handsome clothes," he said, his eyes on the road.

I fell silent, imagining why this was a special occasion. Our year anniversary of dating hadn't come yet. L'Attente was one of the swankiest French restaurants in town. I knew it was pronounced "La Taunte" and meant The Anticipation, because of a French class I had failed in high school.

I eagerly awaited our arrival so I could find out what to anticipate.


	2. Darryl?

Andy's POV – Same Day, 10 AM

"Mo! Mo, have some coffee." My partner at the precinct, Darryl Morris, was spacing out, which was really uncommon. Coffee seemed a lifetime away the way he was staring out the window.

"Oh, right." He picked up the mug I had placed on his part of our shared desk. Instead of taking a sip, he looked at the writing on the mug. "Happy Birthday," he read aloud. Then he stared absently at his sleeve cuff, and then the arm of his slightly wrinkled black suit.

"Darryl, I'm not going to be home _until_ my birthday if we don't start running on this case. Jane Doe, strangled in her apartment, no witnesses?" It was unlike Darryl to not be fully into his work. What was he so distracted by? Aside from being partners at the police precinct, we were friends. He hadn't mentioned any problems with his wife or kids. Darryl seemed happy with his job most of the time... I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yeah, look, I need to take a break, man." Darryl got up from his chair.

"No. We need to start investigating this. The public has been worried the perp will come after them. It's been four days, Darryl. What's on your mind? Maybe I can help." Stalling for four days on any case is ridiculous. The boss was asking questions, and I was running out of answers.

"It's the sisters," he said.

"You think they have something to do with this?" I asked quizzically. I admit, Prue has a temper sometimes, but not so badly she'd be involved in something like this.

"I—I can't talk about it right now. Piper asked me not to-"

"Darryl, snap out of it. You simply can't take a day off; we need to get moving on this. The boss is breathing down my neck enough as it is. Drink your coffee on the way. We need to interview more people in the complex."

I drove in frustrated silence. What was _with_ Darryl today? Come to think of it, it hadn't been just this day. Darryl had been looking haggard for a while, although it wasn't obvious until now that he was hiding something. I knew I had to be sympathetic, but we had cases which were time-sensitive and required attention. Also, since when was Darryl not interested in coffee?

At the complex, I got out of the car, shut the door, and went to the rental office to show the manager my badge. He knew we were on our way, but it is standard protocol.

Darryl still had the coffee mug in his hand, only half empty.

"Put the cup in the car," I muttered as we went toward Jane Doe's building.

I knocked on Apt. 154 C's door, kitty-corner from Jane Doe's. I tried to compose myself and my temper. I took a deep breath, shook my hands out, anything to relax and focus on interviewing potential witnesses.

A tall man with short brown hair answered.

"Yes?" he said.

Flashing my badge, I stated my name.

"Trudeau? You're dating Prue, right?"

"That's not why we're here," I said, flustered. How does he know that? What business is that of his, anyway? Temper, I reminded myself. I exhaled. "Do you know anything about the unknown woman across the hall who was strangled a few days ago?"

Right before my eyes, I saw this man transform into… a monster? He went bald, and his face got three times bigger! It was like someone had plastered black and red war paint all over his body. He was no longer wearing that crisp gray suit. I blinked.

Darryl tackled me to the ground.

"Leo?" Darryl yelled.

Who is Leo? I wondered, and how is he going to help? This... _monster_ is going to do God knows what to us, and all Darryl's doing is yelling for some guy to come save us? Unbelievable.


	3. The Secret's Out

Darryl's POV – Same Day, 10:30 AM

We're on our way to the apartment complex, I reasoned. Would now be a good time to tell Andy I know about the sisters being witches? No, Prue might get mad; I'm sure she wants to tell him in her own time. On the other hand, what if we need Leo's help? Andy seemed to realize there was something different about my attitude.

I contemplated this on the way to the rental office.

"Put the cup in the car," Andy said, sounding irritated.

The squad car was right by the rental office, so I quickly opened the door and put the cup in the cup-holder. I jogged to keep up with Andy after slamming the door.

We arrived at an apartment that was across the hall from Jane Doe's. Andy knocked on the door.

Cole! My brain shouted. I knew Cole was dating Phoebe but I didn't know he lived here. Meditating on this, I almost missed when Andy said, "… unknown woman across the hall who was strangled…"

At the word "strangled," Cole got an angry look in his eyes, and before I knew it, he'd turned into a demon! No time to think, I tackled Andy to the ground, and yelled for Leo. I'd explain to Andy later, if we lived.

Leo and Piper orbed in, then Piper froze Cole, or whoever this was, by holding her hands out.

"Thank God," I said.

"Leo, take Andy," Piper ordered. Leo obliged and orbed Andy out of there.

Cole didn't stay frozen for long.

He moved back and forth and stepped towards us like he was never frozen. I had drawn my weapon after Andy had orbed out with Leo.

"Shooting won't hurt me," Cole said in a mean, deep voice.

"Guess again," I said, nodding at Piper. She had a pre-made potion she grabbed after Leo sensed us. Piper threw the potion at me. A cloud of smoke cleared and I had a yellow film over my body.

I held my hand with my palm toward me and waved it in front of my face. The potion allowed me to temporarily have the power of the demon Barbas, who has the ability to read people's fears.

"You're afraid of being Cole forever and marrying Phoebe," I said, somewhat surprised.

"No!" he shouted, and there was Cole again in front of us. The other guy just disappeared. My skin returned to normal.

"Please don't make me do that again," I said.

"What happened?" Cole said. "Why are you laying on the floor?" he asked me.

"Oh, no," said Piper. "I think the potion might have backfired."

"How so?" I said. "If he doesn't remember trying to kill us, that's a good thing," I said.

"Was there anything else or are we done here? I'm late for work," Cole said, his gaze shifting between me and Piper.

I almost spoke, but didn't want Cole to turn into a demon again. Piper glanced at me. "It can wait," I said at last.

Cole went past us after locking his door; then shimmered out.

"Lawyers," Piper said, rolling her eyes. "Leo!"

"Actually, I need to take a break anyway. Let me drive you back," I said.

Piper accepted, and once I saw she was situated, I went back to the car. "Andy!" I remembered.

"What? Let's go! The boss is going to be asking questions." Andy emerged from the Manor unhurt.

I drove us back to the precinct. On the way, Andy said, "Magic, huh? I might be able to get used to that." Then, more to himself than me, "It's going to take commitment to Prue."

Relieved that Andy knew about the sisters and Leo from them directly, I could focus more closely on my work. I went home exhausted. My wife made a fire and I fell asleep almost immediately.


	4. Paige's Decision

Paige's POV – Midnight in New York City

Maybe I'm finally losing it. Prue showing up… I have a dad that's alive? Maybe I should go to California for more information? I don't want to appear too eager.

Sure, I might not want to do social work forever, but it fits right now. New York fits me. I left San Francisco because it was too painful.

"Paige?" a familiar voice asked on the other side of my front door.

Opening the door gingerly I said rather rudely, "Can we take a rain check?" and shut the door in Chris Waller's face.

"Paige? I came to tell you I'm moving."

I let Chris in when I heard that.

"Where? When?" I said.

Chris sighed. "L.A. It's more… convenient."

"Convenient for whom?" I said without thinking.

"Come with me," Chris said earnestly.

"I can't just pick up and move-"

"There are lots of jobs in L.A., honey. What have you got to lose?"

I sneered and growled softly. He had a point.

Before I knew it, we were arriving at the Los Angeles Airport. Chris sang softly in my ear on the way to baggage claim.

"_So glad to meet you, Angeles_"

I smiled. Elliott Smith's "Angeles" was one of my favorite songs.

Chris and I did all the touristy things; even going all the way to Burbank to see if we could meet a star, which was Chris' idea.

I got a job in – surprise! – social work. I was actually pleased with the facility when I walked in. No four-inch by six-inch cubicles, for one thing. Chris had encouraged me to get a job since that night in New York, and when I questioned why he didn't have one or seem to need one, he said that taking care of people _was_ his job.

"What are you, a doctor that only works nights? Is that what you're doing when I'm asleep?"

"Paige, I want to show you something," Chris told me seriously.

I looked at him half expectant, half curious.

"Here I go," he said. He turned into a white-shining translucent - _thing_ – and disappeared. I screamed.

"What happened? What was that jingling noise?"

"It's ok, I'm right here," Chris said from behind me, after a different jingling noise. I jumped.

"I need to lie down," I said. I stayed standing, mulling over everything that had happened in the last twenty-four days in my mind. This was all becoming too much for me. Prue coming at me in the middle of the night from who knows where, moving to Los Angeles with Chris, and getting a new job and all that comes with relocating. Wait, didn't Prue say she lives in San Francisco? Should I ask Chris if we can go? What if she doesn't exist and was just a figment of my imagination? That might explain some things.

"Hon?" Chris cupped my face in his hands.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to walk out?" I said carefully.

"Of course, you _know_ me, Paige."

"I-I saw a girl that said she was my sister. It was before we moved. I'm kind of scared to find out more... she said she lives in San Francisco, but I'm afraid, Chris. She was in my apartment, I have no idea how she got there and when I swung my umbrella at her-"

Chris laughed. "Your umbrella?" he said.

"Chris, this is serious. After I swung it at her, this purple light surrounded her and she disappeared. Kind of like you did, but without the jingle noise."

Chris pondered this for a moment. He walked over to my red couch and sat down. "If she astral-projected..." he mumbled to himself.

I joined him, hugging one of the huge pillows my mom embroidered for me. "Astral what?"

"Projection," Chris said simply. "It means she traveled from San Francisco to you with her mind." My eyes widened. "It's not scary, it's actually kind of cool, I think. Having a power like that would be sweet."

"Power? Chris, you have to slow down. What are you talking about?" I was so irritated I could spit. Patience has never been something I was very good at. "I should take a walk; clear my head."

Chris didn't see why not, so I left our cushy apartment and decided to walk east. Since the sun rises in the east, I felt comfortable that good would come out of my confusion. After about ten blocks, I figured I had enough organized in my brain about this. Taking a different route walking back, I passed by a cafe where people were enjoying coffee. I desperately needed some today, that was for sure. After ordering my caramel macchiato, I sat near a man and a woman talking. At first I thought they were dating, but I was conveniently close to them, and my opinion changed.

The man was talking about _powers_. Granted, he could be someone who didn't like Big Brother and was referring to the "powers that be", but that was soon dashed also.

The woman he was with couldn't be more than a freshman in college, I reasoned, looking her over with scrutiny.

"Leo, I'm ready to conquer the world. I have them under control, see?" The - girl, I guess - held up her right arm and flicked it to the side. A red vase on the counter broke into tiny pieces. Was that a coincidence? Looking at the girls smiling face, I wasn't so sure.

"What are you doing?" the man, Leo, said sharply. "Don't use your powers _here_," he said softly.

"Why not? You orb into my dorm without a second thought," she complained.

"Billie, that's different. I orb where I know no one will see."

Finished with my coffee; I was almost too intrigued to leave. I wanted to get back to Chris and tell him about Leo. I frankly wanted to talk to Leo directly and ask him more about what he was talking about, but that might be too risky.

Chris greeted me when I opened the door to our apartment. "You'll never guess what happened on my way back," I said.

"What?" Chris was wary.

"A man talked about powers; like you did. Only he was talking about an orb? And this chick Billie waved her arm around a smashed a vase-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where were you?"

"At a cafe, getting some coffee. So anyway, this guy who was talking about an orb, his name's Leo."

Chris stared at me.


	5. The Matthews Magic

Chris' POV -

I stared at Paige, wondering whether I should tell her then that Leo had been my whitelighter; my teacher when I was coming into my own powers. Billie was obviously his very silly and inexperienced new charge.

"I wouldn't go by that café again," I told Paige. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Chris, that's ridiculous. She smashed the vase a long way from where she was, no one was hurt. Sure, they were surprised, but come on. I think I want to talk to Leo… find out more about what he meant about an orb."

"Paige, it's called orbing, not _an_ orb. You remember this?" I said, orbing out and then orbing in behind her.

"The jingle noise white thing!" she said.

"That is orbing, and there's something else. Leo was my – teacher – who taught me how to use it properly."

Paige gaped at me. "How come you didn't tell me?" she asked.

"There was nothing to tell," I said, sighing.

"Can I try?" she said seriously.

"Orbing? I guess, but I doubt anything will happen."

"Thanks a lot." Her sarcasm hurt.

She closed her eyes really tight. "How does it work?" she asked, opening one eye. I could tell she was frustrated, so I decided to humor her.

"All you do is focus on a place you want to go – but not a public place. Try going from where you are to the door." I knew it wouldn't work, but she was my girlfriend and I didn't want to disappoint her.

She said, "Okay," and closed her eyes tightly again. "Prue!" she yelled unexpectedly. She wanted to go to Prue after all, I thought, surprised.

I watched wide-eyed as Prue orbed in to our apartment; Paige's eyes still tightly closed. "What?" I could only mouth the word. My voice had stopped working.

"How did I get here?" Prue asked. "I'm just about to auction off a really valuable bracelet! Paige! Did you do this?" Prue looked around our apartment then, as speechless as I was.

Paige's eyes finally opened. "Oh! Prue! I was trying to orb to you," she said matter-of-factly.

"Instead you orbed me to you," Prue said. "Do you know what this means?"

Paige shrugged. "That I can move things with my mind like you can?"

"No… that you're even more powerful than _Leo_. Wait till he hears about this!"

"Wait, you know Leo, too?" Paige said.

Prue glanced over at me. "Of course," she said cautiously. I could tell she wasn't sure if it was safe to talk, in case I was a mortal.

"It's okay; Leo was my whitelighter," I explained. "My name's Chris."

"Chris, you have to orb all of us back to the house," Prue said urgently. "This is huge."

I obliged and orbed us all back to the Manor.

"Wait, you have more sisters?" I said to Paige.

"Um, not to my knowledge...that was so weird," Paige responded.

"Paige! It's so good to meet you finally! I'm Phoebe," a blonde woman said, getting up from her chair.

"You know me, I'm Prue," stated Prue.

"What's all the commotion?" another woman asked, walking into the kitchen with Leo.

"Piper, this is Paige," said Prue. "Leo, I'm so glad you're here. Paige is incredible. Show him what you can do," Prue encouraged.

"Weren't you just in Los Angeles like ten minutes ago?" Paige said to Leo.

"He's a whitelighter, remember?" I said.

"Right," Paige remembered; but it was obvious she was still confused.

"Show him what you did at the apartment," I coaxed.

Paige shut her eyes tight then for a long while; and just when it appeared she wasn't going to try it out again, she said, "Dad!" very loudly and to everyone's surprise.

A man with silver hair orbed in.

I didn't know what to think. Prue was right; Paige _was_ more powerful than Leo.


	6. Phoebe Fights Back

Phoebe's POV – The Day Paige Orbed Sam In, 1:00pm

"Dad!" Paige shouted.

Dad? I wondered how she could possibly-

"Sam!" Prue said, eyes as huge as golfballs. Well, not really, but I'm a writer, what do you expect? College level literature is hard, but good for stretching my brain. That's how I met Cole, actually. He was walking around my campus and introduced himself. He's a lawyer. Well, he's also part demon, but not all the time. I think he's getting a handle on it.

"Sam?" Piper asked.

"Hi, everybody," said Sam, almost nonchalantly. "I'm Sam, Paige's dad." Then, to Paige, "You called?"

Paige sighed. "They wanted me to show Leo what I did back at the apartment... I orbed Prue there instead of orbing _to_ Prue."

It was my turn for the huge eyes and I blinked rapidly.

"I'll get the book," I said.

"No, wait," said Prue. "This wouldn't be in the book. No Halliwell or Warren has ever had this type of power before."

"Halliwell? I'm Paige _Matthews_."

"That's your adopted name, sweetie," said Sam. "You are definitely a Halliwell." Sam smiled proudly.

I wasn't sure what to think or do. I looked at Leo to see what he might have in mind. Chris beat me to it.

"Leo, what do you think this means? She's not an Elder, but..." his voice trailed off.

"Definitely not an Elder," Leo agreed, crossing his arms. "Talking to them might help, though, to see if they have any ideas."

"Give me a break, Leo. We both know the Elders don't know anything. Plus, if no Halliwell has ever been this powerful, they're _sure_not going to know." Piper was adamant.

I resumed my walk upstairs. Maybe the book had _something_. If it was dark magic, we would have known by now. Once upstairs, I asked Grams to give me some assistance. At times she would choose to flip pages in order to help us out, even though she was long gone.

Nothing happened. I grimaced at the ceiling and turned my attention back to the book. "Whitelighter, whitelighter, whitelighter..." I said to myself as I thumbed through about 30 pages.

Someone was orbing into the attic!

"I don't think you'll find anything in there either," said Chris.

"You can't be up here!" I said.

Chris looked around. "Yes, I can," he said, sounding entitled. "Let me give you my opinion. I think she is hyper-aware of whitelighters because of seeing me orb and seeing Leo this afternoon. It might have developed her powers five times faster than normal," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"That's not possible," I said, shaking my head.

"Just because you haven't heard of it before, doesn't mean it's not possible. I mean c'mon, Prue didn't originally know how to astral-project right? Same with this, it might have messed with her emotions enough that she is in a kind of... overdrive."

I conceded. "Maybe you're right."

"Can you think of any other explanation?" Chris asked.

"You know I can't."

"There you have it, then," said Chris, orbing out.

If Paige was in this – overdrive – what were her original powers? The ones she was born with? And these were just her whitelighter powers. Prue had said she's half whitelighter _and_ witch. What else is she capable of? I flipped to a page in the book I knew very well. "How To Bind A Witch's Powers." If her witch's powers were as unexpected as what just happened downstairs, I wanted no part in finding out about it. I hoped Piper would agree with me. It was too dangerous having Paige in the house with her powers out of control. The mortgage was bad enough; I wasn't going to have _Paige_ be a liability.

"Phoebe?" called Prue from downstairs. Oh, no. What now? I rushed down stairs.

"What's wrong? Did Paige-Oh - my - word."

"She took this really seriously," said Sam.

In front of me had to be thirty people, not speaking, just staring at me as I descended the last step.

"What did you do to make all these people come here?" I asked.

"I just started saying random names. I wanted to show Leo what I could really do."

I walked around to the different people, looking at some of them very closely. "Mom? You orbed _Mom_?" My mom was dressed very oddly, and she just stared, she didn't speak or even smile. Frozen in time, but she was breathing. They all were like that; next to inanimate. I glanced at some of the other people's faces: _Aviva_? The girl who tried to join us a while ago? How did Paige come up with the name Aviva? It couldn't have been by accident.

"Pi-per...?" I said, getting scared. "How does Paige know Aviva?"

"Excuse me," said Piper, pushing past some of the people to get to me. Harrumphing, she said, "Eventually Paige ran out of names so she asked us to provide some. Leo seemed okay with it. I didn't expect her to say those names so fast, though."

"Can Paige orb everyone out of here the same way?"

"We tried that, they won't budge. Literally."

"Where did Chris go? He talked to me in the attic right before I found the How To Bind A Witch's Powers spell."

"Maybe he went back to Los Angeles," Leo offered. "I wouldn't be surprised," he said, looking around.

"Well we have to do something," I said, getting irritated. "We don't exactly have room for thirty people, let alone Paige and Chris. Have you tried talking to them? Asking them where they're from? Maybe if we remind them where they're from they will just walk out the door...?" I guessed.

Prue cocked her head to the side. "Worth a shot. I have to get back to work now or I'm toast." With that, Prue exited the Manor. I almost went right out the door with her.

Piper walked up to Aviva, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "Aviva? You need to go back to your house now, okay?" Looking around, she said louder, "All of you, go back to where you came from. Scram."

"You really think saying 'scram' is going to work?" Paige mocked.

"You probably need to connect with them on a more personal level. Give them a reason to return," said Leo.

"What do you suggest, O Wise Handyman?" Piper said sarcastically.

Shrugging and walking over to Aviva, he said calmly, "Aviva, I know you can hear me. My name's Leo. I'm here to help you find your way back home. I think you're stronger than you realize and somewhere in there, you know you are needed back home. You don't belong here; you have other duties."

Everyone shimmered out simultaneously.

"You've GOT to be KIDDING me," said Piper.

"Shimmering," observed Leo.

"Oh, no. Do you think Cole's behind this?" I asked.


	7. Finding Cole

Leo's POV

"Shimmering," I observed. That got my attention. If they orbed in and shimmered out, that means that some demonic influence intervened after they arrived. No demons were seen entering the Manor, but it might explain why they didn't speak and barely moved. I thought Phoebe's hunch about Cole being involved had some merit... it was about the only idea we had to go on at this point. I myself had never seen anything like it.

The doorbell rang. Depending on who was at the door, this was about to become an even more interesting day. I decided to answer it; Piper was still much too angry and Phoebe too shocked to do much of anything except look at Paige, who didn't know what to do.

I opened the door cautiously only to have Prue brush past me. "Forgot my keys," she said. She looked up and realized the thirty people had disappeared. "Oh, good, you got them to go away." She smiled happily and closed the front door behind her before any of us could explain.

"What should we tell her when she gets back?" Phoebe asked.

"The truth, and any other information we find out between now and then," I said.

"Like what?" said Piper and Paige in unison.

"About who or what is responsible for the shimmering. I'll talk to Darryl and see if he can help us," I said, orbing out.

I orbed in behind an enormous fake fern in a hallway of the police precinct. I opened the door to where Darryl and Andy's desk was, and found only Andy.

"Hi, Andy, where's Darryl? I need to talk to him about – something important."

"You just missed him; he went to the break room for more coffee. Anything I can help you with, since I know a little about what – important – things you deal with?" Andy said, catching onto my discretion. You never know what police officers will overhear in a busy precinct; it was a code we had arranged with Darryl several months ago.

I explained that something strange had happened at the Manor, and asked if Andy would be able to look up any missing persons cases that had been reported within the last hour.

"That's a pretty specific time frame," Andy said. "We're also only Homicide, Leo. If it's really important to you, though, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand. "It is."

"One thing I can tell you is that we found Jane Doe's body not too long ago."

My eyes widened. "From the apart-"

"Shh, yes," said Andy, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Since it's important to you, I'll also tell you that Cole is under investigation officially. Don't repeat that."

I shook my head, indicating I wouldn't.

Darryl wasn't back by that time, so I simply left. Andy was more than capable of figuring this one out; and I knew he'd update Darryl as soon as he found anything. Orbing back into the entryway of the Manor, I didn't see the sisters anywhere. "Piper?" I called.

"Upstairs!" yelled Phoebe.

I jogged up the stairs and found all of them in Phoebe's room; the bed stripped of sheets.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We're going to have Paige stay here for a few days," said Piper. "With everything that's gone on today, we don't feel comfortable with Paige orbing _anywhere_ until we figure out where those people went, and how to get Paige's powers under control."

"Excellent idea," I said, relieved. "In the meantime, would you like me to try to find Chris?"

"Yes!" said Paige impatiently. "I'm going to take a nap. You guys don't even need to put sheets on."

"...but we will," said Piper, glancing at Paige.

I orbed out, off to Los Angeles. I had a bone to pick with Billie, also, about showing off her powers in public. Exposure was a huge risk; not to be taken lightly.

In Paige's apartment, it looked oddly barren. Upon closer inspection, I found that no masculine items remained in the bathroom; no men's clothing in the bedroom either. Chris had apparently taken off, and in a very mortal way, moved out. From what I knew of Chris, this _was _somewhat expected. He was a rather impulsive young man... taking Paige away from happy New York on a whim, but then ditching her for something else? I had known Chris was planning to move to Los Angeles, but to pack up and leave so soon after arriving was peculiar even by his standards. Could he possibly have something to do with this shimmering business? I didn't think so.

I found Billie in her dorm room, studying for an exam. I unhesitatingly said again that she shouldn't use her powers in public. She looked up at me.

"I showed you that I could handle them," she said, glaring at me.

"True, but someone might see you and you could be exposed." I had tried explaining the risk before. She might have heard me, but she didn't listen.

"Exposed, schmecksposed. I know that already. Teach me something new, why don't 'cha?" She flicked her blonde hair away from her face and turned back to her notebook.

"It's a huge deal, Billie. Trust me." Knowing from past experience that I wasn't going to get through to her, I left it at that and orbed back to the Manor to see if Piper would come Cole-hunting with me. We did have that avenue we hadn't traveled down.

"If anything,_ I_ should come with you," said Phoebe adamantly. "Cole's my boyfriend."

"Yeah, and she hasn't gotten to see much of him because of my - episode," said Paige.

"That has nothing to do with it."

I conceded and took Phoebe with me, but I didn't tell her that Cole was under investigation for murder. Not only did Andy not want me to repeat it, but it would upset Phoebe, and might make this mission even more dangerous for her. Granted, she had come into her powers, but did either of us really know what we were up against?


	8. Billie's Dilemma

Billie's POV –

Why did Leo care whether I used my powers in public? I broke a vase, big deal. If anything he should be proud of me for being so gutsy. Yeah, we're dating, but it's not like I'd knock someone over with my hand just to impress him.

My dorm mate had something to say almost every day about me dating Leo. "He's too old for you," blah blah blah. I _like_ him and I'm over 18, so what? Why do I waste my time with school anyway? I could be off saving the world, if I wasn't limited by Leo. Oh, and we haven't _done__it_, if that's what you're worried about. He's too... whitelightery. What if he orbs out right as we... never mind. I like to make myself laugh at things like that.

I always got annoyed, as you can imagine, when he had to go visit the famous Charmed Ones. Apparently there's a fourth one now, which takes away from the time he gets to spend training me. I first found out I was a witch from him; he saw me a few months ago... I was angry because a guy hit on me and I didn't appreciate it. I put my hands up in frustration and happened to be near a malfunctioning water fountain. I was very surprised when he got soaked, but not regretful. Leo came up and said sorry to him, as if they knew each other; I later found out they did.

"You have to stop using your powers in public," Leo said to me when I was studying this afternoon. That sure is getting old. Why does love have to be so... annoying? I don't know where Leo went after that; probably off helping the Charmed Ones. I didn't even want to meet the new one. Imagine, a new Charmed One. How did she manage that, except to be born into that family? Impossible.

Okay, maybe I'm a teensy weensy jealous. It would be cool saving the world from everything; when I was a kid I thought it would be _great_ to be a superhero, which is kind of what they brother was taken away from my family when I was really young; and once I knew I had powers, I've wanted to find him somehow.

I don't know where he is... all I know, of course, is his name: Chris Waller. He was a little older than me when he was taken; he had brown hair and piercing eyes, but I can't remember playing with him, or him reading to me, nothing.

I resigned myself to more studying. I heard a knock at the door an answered.

"Oh, hi," I said. "Piper, right?"

"Yes, may I come in? We have something to talk about."

"Sure," I said, clearing my stuff off my bed and having a seat.

Piper chose to sit in my egg chair by my dorm mate's computer. "Leo has told me about you, I know you're dating, and that's fine with me. What I need to know is if you personally know anything that might help with Paige."

"Paige? Like, your new sister?" I asked, folding my legs under me.

"Our... oldest sister. Anyway, she had something happen today and even Leo doesn't know how to explain it. I took it upon myself to come over here and ask you. She can orb people to where she is by will. About 30 of them showed up at our house just with her saying their names."

"Wow, um, I've never heard of that," I said, feeling unhelpful.

"Billie, they didn't orb out when they went away... they _shimmered._ That's what's got us so confused. I figured since Leo doesn't know, and none of us know, and the Elders probably don't know..." Piper trailed off.

"Shimmering? You think _I_ would know about shimmering. I'm a witch, not a demon."

"Ah, but at least you know that shimmering is what demons do. That's a start. Can you think of any sort of demon that might want thirty people?"

"No clue," I said. "Unless..."

"Yes?" Piper waited expectantly.

"Unless there was a demon who wanted to like, build a coven, only for demons."

"Not using innocents..." said Piper doubtfully.

"That's the thing, though. Maybe they're not innocents. What did they look like?"

"Billie, they had to be innocents. My _mom_ was there; and this girl Aviva, who's harmless."

"Are you absolutely sure?" I looked at her intently.

Piper looked away. "What would they want with my mom? She's dead, Billie. They can't hurt her."

I looked up at the ceiling. There _had_ to be an explanation, and I was pretty sure I was right. Even though the Charmed One's mom was dead, there had to be something the demons wanted from her, and Aviva. Revenge? Or avenging some demon's death? I told Piper my ideas, and was met with her getting up and slamming the door on her way out.


	9. Aviva Escapes

Piper's POV

So much has happened in the last week, I don't know if I can explain it all. Billie came up with a ridiculous notion that the _innocents_ were taken by demons who wanted to build a coven. Sure. My mom is not a demon, and besides, how could all of those people be possessed by demons and not _move_ an inch? Give me a break! I'm beginning to actually care that Leo is dating Billie. She has some radical ideas that are not healthy.

And where on earth is Chris? Vanished? That's how Leo described it when he got back to the Manor with Phoebe. They didn't find Cole, but they found Aviva. They asked her to come to the Manor but she refused. She was sitting outside her aunt's house and refused to go in there either. At least she was talking.

"She looked really cold, like she'd been out there for a while," said Phoebe, grabbing an apple out of the bowl on the kitchen island.

"So you just left her there?" I asked.

"She's in Phoebe's room, resting," said Leo.

"You mean Paige's room," said Phoebe. "What are we going to do with her?"

"This whole thing is giving me a headache. Where is Paige?"

Leo and Phoebe exchanged glances, then ran upstairs.

Left to my own devices, I decided to go up to the attic and start recording some of this into the Book of Shadows. The next generation had to know that some pretty freaky stuff had happened and had to be prepared for it. Of course Phoebe was probably going to be the first one married, if Chris didn't show up.

"Hello, Piper," said Paige, coming into the attic. "How's your writing going?"

I raised my eyebrows. Leo ran in after Paige and yelled, "Piper, don't do anything she says. That's Aviva!"

"Aviva?" I said. "Leo-"

Then Paige - or Aviva - smashed the stained glass window that was behind me. I ducked. We'd had Leo repair that window so many times, I had gotten used to it breaking... but definitely not by Aviva. I held my hands up to freeze her and she broke through it just like Cole had that one day. I tried it again, but not before she shimmered out.

"Wonderful, Leo. Now what?" I said. "Is Aviva Cole now? What is going on?" I realized then that the second time I tried to freeze Aviva, I accidentally froze Leo.

* * *

><p>"Piper, are you okay?" asked Phoebe, running into the attic. "I heard glass-oh, no. You saw Aviva didn't you?"<p>

"You know it's Aviva and not Paige, too? What happened, Phoebe?"

Phoebe caught her breath. "When Leo and I went upstairs to check on Paige, she wasn't anywhere to be found. Just Aviva. I promise they were both in there when we set Aviva down on my bed to rest."

I sighed. "So, where's Cole? Do we still think he had something to do with this?"

"He wasn't at his apartment or his law office... I'm getting worried."

"That's my job, stop it," I said. I walked out of the attic and went into Phoebe's room to see for myself whether anyone was there. Phoebe was right; it was empty.

"Maybe Prue has some idea of what's going on. We haven't really broached the subject with her since her meeting with Sam, and I don't think she knows about Paige's thirty people shimmering out..." I pondered. I then went one door over into Prue's room. "Knock, knock!" I said.

"Who's there?" she said.

"Piper. Look, Prue, we need to talk to you about Paige and Aviva. Something weird is going on."

"We're the Charmed Ones, something weird is _always_ going on," Prue commented, opening her door.

"The people that Paige summoned all shimmered out at the same time, and now Aviva's back but she possessed Paige, I think."

Prue's eyebrows rose. "Okay, that_ is_ weird. Have you talked to Aviva or Paige to ask-"

"Aviva tried to hurt Piper then shimmered out just now," Phoebe interjected.

"Oh, brother," said Prue.


	10. The Ringleader

Cole's POV

I shimmered out to go to the law office right after Darryl inexplicably revealed my fear. I have a cot in my combination-locked office closet in case I have so much work that I can't go back to my apartment. Several days went by without a lot of interest, then I got a phone call from someone requesting help with their taxes. I explained I wasn't that type of attorney but they insisted I answer their questions in person. I obliged and shimmered out to where the call came from; west Texas. I was a little confused, but when I got there things got a whole lot stranger.

Shimmering in, I found myself in a sparsely furnished office with a very small desk. No one was in sight. I looked on in dread as one of the Elders appeared before me; and he said one of the most absurd things I've ever heard.

"Be gone, you demon who art in my midst, be replaced wholly by Cole, I insist."

"Hah!" I started to laugh, and then I felt Belthazor leave me. I tried to shimmer out, but to no avail. "You've got to be kidding," I said. The Elder orbed out. I rolled my eyes. My first instinct was to call Phoebe and tell her what happened. I was resigned to opened the door of the office so I could catch a cab to the airport. A lanky man with brown hair was just about to knock on the door.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Chris, who are you? I'm trying to find my sister, Billie."

"Well, Chris, I'm Cole. Can you tell me what the heck is going on?"

"Cole, you're Phoebe's boyfriend, right? I think she's looking for you."

"Why, what's happened?"

Chris talked very fast about a new Charmed One, Paige, and whitelighters and some other stuff that didn't make sense. All this talk about orbing and powers reminded me I didn't have _my_ powers; it was like being in a fog. I told Chris so, and that I was on my way to the airport to go back to San Francisco. He wouldn't hear of it and orbed us out. It was a very peculiar experience. We arrived at my law office.

"Why are we here?" I asked. "Don't you want to go back to the Manor?"

Chris responded, "Billie might be there looking for me and I might freak her out."

"I could see how she'd be freaked out," I said, glancing at him. "Look, does she know where you are?"

"She doesn't even know _who_ I am. She just knows my name. I was taken from my family when she was still young."

"And now Paige is going on a rampage orbing fifty people into your house? That doesn't connect."

"Thirty people. At least that's how many I counted when I orbed back into the Manor briefly after I moved out of our apartment."

"Why did you move? And you mean you took all of your stuff out, like a mortal?" I asked, suddenly realizing I was now a mortal.

"Yes. It's because I'm trying to find Billie. Leo's probably figured that out by now."

"Okay, so you're trying to find Billie, but you don't want her to be freaked out. I would say let's go back to the Manor and face it head-on. Whatever happens, happens. Plus, if she gets mad, we'll have thirty people backing us up." I put on my famous grin.

"All right," Chris sighed. He looked at the floor. "What if Paige-"

"Let's go," I said, grabbing his arm violently. He orbed us out immediately.

We returned to the entryway of the Manor. "Phoebe?" I called. Running down the stairs, Phoebe hugged me.

"Cole! Where have you been?" she said. "Paige orbed thirty people in here-"

"I know," I said. "Chris told me."

"Chris?" Phoebe asked, then let go of me and looked at Chris. "We've been looking for you. Leo said you moved out of the apartment. What's going on?" Looking back at me, Phoebe asked, "Did Chris know about all of them shimmering out?" Her eyes were intense.

I raised my eyebrows. "No... Chris just knew about thirty people orbing in. They _shimmered_ out? How?"

"We still don't know. That's not the worst of it," she gushed. "Aviva possessed Paige."

"What?" Chris almost screeched. "How is that possible? Is she okay?"

"Aviva tried to hurt Piper, and then shimmered out. Cole, where are they going? Do you have anything to do with this?"

"Phoebe, I promise you I had nothing to do with this; I didn't even know about _Billie_ until Chris told me. And there's something else-"

Phoebe scrunched up her face and interrupted me. "What about Billie?"

"She's my sister," said Chris, looking at the floor. He sure looks at the floor a lot, I thought. "We were... separated when she was young. She doesn't know where I am. Cole thought we should come back here and try to tell her, even if she reacts badly. We both thought the thirty people were still here."

"Phoebe, listen to me," I said. "I don't have my powers." I tried to shimmer out, just like before, but I couldn't. "So, obviously, I have nothing to do with everyone _else_ shimmering out."

"What we need to focus on is why Aviva possessed Paige, and where she is now. Also, where the thirty people are," said Chris.

"_Thirty _bucks says everyone who shimmered out are in the same place," I said sarcastically.

"What's all the racket?" said Piper, joining us along with Prue. "And Leo's not frozen any more, but he orbed out."

"Oh for Pete's sake," said Phoebe. "Now I guess the only thing to do is find Billie, and see what the heck she knows."

"I talked to her, and she said she thinks that the thirty people shimmered out because demons want to build a coven," inserted Piper.

"No, no, no," I said. "That's not how it works. Demons don't build covens. They build... well, kind of, gangs."

"Gangs?" Prue laughed raucously. "This _is_ San Francisco, they'll fit right in."

"They'll come after you," I said seriously. "Aviva sounds like she's developed her powers."

"But she's a witch, not a demon," protested Phoebe.

"Remember when _you_ became demonic, and joined me for a while in hell?" I reminded her.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "That was different, I was in love with you."

"Gee, thanks," I said, a little hurt.

"What I mean is, Aviva isn't in love with these thirty people. I think she wants to build an empire, or something," Phoebe said.

"I don't think so," I responded. "It sounds like she wants power, but I don't think she's the ringleader on this one. As far as possessing Paige, it could be she just wants to scare us."

"Mission accomplished," Chris said worriedly.

"Who do you think is responsible, Cole?" asked Piper.

I thought for a moment. What could someone want with thirty people besides to build a gang? The Charmed Ones definitely weren't involved. "Do you know anyone else who might have a reason?"

"Sam?" Prue suggested.

"Oh, give me a break. You think Sam, Paige's _father_ wants to build a gang of demons? He's a whitelighter for goodness sake." Piper stomped into the kitchen.

"Look, anything is possible at this point," Prue said. "I haven't seen him since the Thirty shimmered out."

"Did he shimmer out with them?" I asked.

"He must have," Prue said, thinking hard. She shook her head. "He was so nice to me at the Lake, though."

Leo orbed in then.

"Leo! Where have you been? And we figured Sam might be behind all this," said Phoebe.

"Cole! There's something I have to tell you," Leo said. "Mind if we talk in the kitchen?" looking at Prue.

"Sure, that's fine," I said, glancing at Phoebe.

Piper was busy washing dishes. She looked up, and once she saw the look on Leo's face, she turned off the water and left us alone.

"Cole, before the police come to you, I think you should know you're under investigation for murder. Remember Jane Doe?"

I could feel myself getting angry, but not because I was guilty. "I tried to stop it," I admitted. "I didn't see the guy's face, but someone came out of her apartment just before the police got there. I heard a commotion and I looked out of my peephole. When I saw the man in the mask I opened my door and tried to wrestle him to the ground but he got away." I sighed, remembering. "I was so angry I couldn't catch him."

Leo nodded, looking relieved. "What did the man look like?"

I closed my eyes, trying to recall. "Plaid shirt, jeans, white sneakers. He was in pretty good shape."

"Plaid shirt... like Sam!" Leo ran from the kitchen.


	11. Sam Knows Something

Aviva's POV

"I didn't do it, I was trying to stop it," Sam told me when I shimmered out of the Manor's attic. Such a strange sensation. Sam was telling me about when he came upon Jane Doe's body. I didn't know what to think.

"Why did I shimmer here?" I asked him point-blank. I could feel Paige breaking through.

"I didn't bring you here," Sam said, glancing around the mausoleum. "Maybe you're meant to find something."

"In a mausoleum? Right," I retorted. "Who would bring me here if it wasn't you? No one else is here. Why are you?"

"I got shimmered here also... you have to believe me."

"I don't have to believe you. The sisters probably think _you're_ the one doing all this."

Sam said emphatically, "I'm not the one you should be focusing on. You should be focusing on… someone you don't expect."

Paige returned then; I felt it. I was back at my aunt's house in my room, as if nothing had happened. I knew that I had possessed Paige briefly, but I didn't know why. I decided to get some rest. I blew out the candles that were arranged in a circle in front of my mirror. I was freaked out at what Sam had said about me needing to focus on someone else. Who else could be responsible?


	12. Hidden

Sam's POV

I ran over to Paige and embraced her. I knew it was her; I'd know my daughter anywhere.

"Hi, Dad," said Paige. I could tell calling me "dad" was getting easier for her.

"Were you scared when Aviva possessed you?" I let her go so I could look into her eyes.

"No, it was just weird; especially the shimmering." I gave her a concerned look.

"Dad, I'm fine, really."

Can I tell her Andy was the culprit behind all this? No, I need to keep it a secret for now. Who knows what the Power of Four would do to Andy? For that matter, what would Andy do to them? I'd be toast, but I don't care as long as Paige is safe.

Andy had confided in me and only me right before Leo got to the precinct that one day. The only reason Andy didn't kill me is because it would hurt Prue, and Andy's still in love with her. He had his reasons for keeping it a secret from her, just like the Charmed Ones had their reasons for not telling him about their magic. I was really the only safe one to turn to. Safe... not for long. Aviva was right, I'm sure the Charmed Ones have figured out that I was the one in the apartment of Jane Doe with the mask, but I didn't kill her. Andy didn't have to tell me he was involved in that one, and his being an investigator made him less suspicious. I know I am taking a big risk just by writing this down, but someone has to know the truth. I was masked because I knew Cole was across the hall, and who knows what he would have done if he knew I was Paige's father. I panicked.

Jane Doe was my charge, and I sensed that she was in trouble, so I went to her, and she was gone already. It's like being a doctor, you can't save everyone, but it's lousy when you realize that. Jane Doe of course wasn't her real name. It was Patty; the mother of the Charmed Ones. I feel awful just admitting that. I was so shocked when I saw her orbed in by Paige, I just laughed it off and said of course Paige was a Halliwell... when really I felt sick. Patty of course didn't die in that Lake at the camp... I made it up. I wanted to get to know Prue, so I lied through my teeth. One day when everyone knows the truth, I hope they can forgive me.

Andy isn't inherently evil; he's... misguided. Once he found out that it was Patty (from me), he was remorseful, if only because Patty was Prue's mom.

I talked with Andy at length the next day, being so burdened down with these secrets I could barely see straight.

"One thing we've neglected to discuss is, why did you use such violence against her?"

Andy's voice was almost a whisper as he glanced around the crowded restaurant.

"I thought she was a threat... someone who would-"

"May I take your order?" said a familiar voice just then.

Andy glanced up incredulously and immediately started sweating. "Prue?" was all he could manage.

"Hey, honey. Why do you look so surprised? I come here for lunch pretty often." Then as an aside, "Hi, Sam."

I smiled at her. "We were just discussing the stock market," I said easily.

"Ugh, count me out. I deal with money enough with my job." She gave Andy a peck on the cheek and took a seat in the back, away from where we were seated.

Andy suddenly looked years older. "Sam..."

"Great actress, that one. Go on, Andy. I promise none of this will be revealed until it needs to be."

With a grumble, Andy resumed. "I thought Patty would blow my cover... that she would tell everyone she could find that I'm a bad person."

"You're not a bad-" I started.

"The shimmering started years ago," he admitted to me.


	13. Cole's Confession

**AN: I will be writing a follow-up story. The hits and reviews I've gotten for this story encourage me to keep going!**

Prue's POV

After the run-in with Andy at the restaurant earlier, I decided that his behavior was a little odd. Sure, I knew that Sam wasn't really talking about the stock market. What could they have been discussing that wasn't safe for me to hear?

A proposal! I bet that was it! That's why Andy didn't want me to overhear anything. I smiled to myself on my way home from the auction house. I would call Andy as soon as I got home and confront him with it, and ask him why he'd been holding out on me.

Strangely, I found no one answered when I entered the house. "Piper? Phoebe?" To my surprise, Cole came down the stairs into the entryway. He had a nervous expression on his face.

"Cole? What are you doing here? Where are my sisters, do _you_ know if Andy's going to propose to me?" I waited.

Walking toward me, Cole took my purse. Gesturing toward the sitting room, he said slowly, "Come here, Prue. There are things we need to discuss." He set my purse on the table by the front door.

My sisters, Andy, Darryl, everyone was crammed into the sitting room, including Aviva, Billie, Sam, and Chris.

"Surprise party?" I guessed, smiling weakly.

"I'm not going to marry you, Prue," said Andy. The others stared at him, as did I.

"Andy and I…" Cole started, putting his hands together as if in prayer.

"Sit down, Prue," Andy said.

I sat, wondering if it was suddenly getting cold or if it was my imagination.

Phoebe took my hand, obviously uncomfortable on a loveseat with three other sisters on it. She shook her head as if to say she didn't know what was happening either.

Continuing, Cole said, "We have something to show you," motioning for Andy to join him.

_Okay, this is getting weird._ We all were fixed on Andy and Cole. Then **both** of them shimmered out at the same time. Phoebe dropped my hand.

I screamed, covering my face. "What is going on?" I all but shrieked.

"Just wait," said Sam.

I gave him a mean, cold look. "You knew about this?"

Shimmering back in on either side of me, Cole and Andy took my arms and pinned them to my sides.

"Prue, honey. Cole and I need to explain this. Listen, please?" came Andy's pleading voice. He knelt in front of me.

I suddenly felt very tired. "Okay," I relented.

"Prue, everyone, Andy is… well, my _charge_, you might say. He started developing his powers when he was an adolescent. From the events that have happened over the last couple months, you can guess that he didn't have control of them until very recently." Cole and Andy let me go then.

"I need a drink," said Paige under her breath.

"Prue, I still love you, but I can't marry you," said Andy, ignoring Paige.

"Billie, this is your brother Chris. I need to tell you, because if I don't, he might never. And I need to clarify that Andy isn't evil. He's not like Belthazor, who doesn't exist anymore anyway. I'm your version of an Elder, Leo." Cole said these last words very carefully.

Chris' eyes were wide; Billie was as white as a sheet. Neither of them could move. So much information was coming in I could hardly stand it.

"What about the 30 people that Paige orbed and then they _shimmered_ out?" asked Phoebe. Piper was stoic.

"It was an experiment to see if Andy could do it," said Cole.

"No, it was an experiment to see if _Paige_ could _orb_ people in," I protested.

"It was both," said Andy calmly.

"I don't even know you," I said, looking at Andy.

"Every possession, everyone who shimmered, that was me, baby." Andy smiled sadly.

"What's the point?" Piper finally found her voice. "Are you making Andy into a super-demon? Or The Source?"

"Nothing like that. I needed to hold this meeting with you all now because I won't get to do it any other time. I've received word that…" Cole trailed off.

"What happened to the 30?" asked Paige.

"They're safe and sound, back where they came from," said Andy.

"Except for your mother," interjected Sam. "Andy-"

"That was an accident," said Cole. "Patty wasn't supposed to die."

"Another _experiment_?" said Billie sarcastically.

Cole looked at me then. "I, on the other hand, am going to. I have a blood disease, and it's inoperable. They've given me two months."

"Blood disease… because you're a leech!" shouted Chris, getting up and running at Cole.

Leo leaped up and locked his arms around Chris' torso. "Calm down. We're all surprised by all of this. We need to stay calm."

"I need someone to… not take my place, but carry on my legacy. Andy is a good person. He is still coming into his powers, and I feel bad enough I can't see them through. I believe you _can_ coexist with each other." Cole paused. "I am feeling rather sick at the moment, so…" he shimmered out.

"Why all the secrets?" I asked Andy.

"Can you imagine what kind of trouble I'd get into if this information got into the wrong hands? I am taking a risk even having Darryl listen to this. Go get some water," Andy said to Darryl, who looked like he really needed it.

Eventually everyone except my sisters and I filed out. I was so stunned I couldn't eat. What else was Andy hiding? I didn't really want to know. What would happen once Cole…I couldn't think about it. I decided to take Leo's advice and calm down, and the rest of the answers would surely come.


End file.
